This invention relates to milk fat containing products and processes therefor and has been devised particularly though not solely for producing a soft dairy spread.
It is desired that a dairy spread should be available which will be spreadable at domestic refrigerator temperatures say 5.degree. C and which will have little change in its spreading characteristics as between that temperature and a warm ambient temperature; say 22.degree. C.
The most important property of high fat content spreads which determines their spreadability is the solid fat content of the fat phase. The solid fat content of a glyceride mixture is defined as the proportion of solid glycerides present at a given temperature. The solid fat content is conveniently measured by wide line nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Related measurements such as the so-called solid fat index (American Oil Chemists Society Official Method) or the integral curve obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (Norris and Munro, 1974) are also commonly used. Variation in the solid fat content accounts for more than 50% of the variation in butter hardness and is the principal factor in determining the rheological properties of butterlike products.